Kumu (beginning)
by MaeMacIntosh
Summary: A case comes close to home with Kono when a dark past is revealed. (New Cover!)
1. Saturday

**A/N: My main rant with 5-0 is a lack of a proper backstory with Kono. I personally think that they should go a little deeper with her history. That aside, I hope you like my story. Please read and review!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own them, I'm just using them for the time being.<strong>

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><p><strong>This story is for J.<strong>

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><p>Her heart is pounding loud enough to the point where she fears that others can hear it. She confidently holds her gun close to her chest as she waits for his signal. Their eyes meet. Time to move in. He kicks the door down and the team begins to search the warehouse. As each room is searched a definitive, "Clear!" can be heard from each member. It isn't until she finds the main storage area that she stops in her tracks.<p>

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><p>48 hours earlier<p>

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><p>Kono's eyes barely open as she hears her phone ring. <em>"Must've forgotten to turn off the alarm,"<em> she thinks to herself. Kono pretends to not notice it and goes back to sleep, perfectly content with missing a few waves after last night's bust. No matter how awesome her job is, Saturdays are always better. Intending to sleep the whole day, she doesn't even register the door opening, or the urgent footsteps stomping closer to where she ly. It is not until two hands grasp her shoulders and shake her awake does she realize the intruder's presence. Her eyes snap open, only to see her annoyed older cousin standing in front of her.

"Come on, Sleeping Beauty, wake up!" he yells, "We've got a case!"

"But it's Saturday!" she whines, "We just finished up with the Draco case yesterday!"

"Don't care," he says, "I'll make the coffee, you get dressed. We'll stop for malasadas on the way." She rolls her eyes and stomps off. She throws on a pink tank top and a pair of frayed jean shorts. She barely runs a brush through her hair and throws it up into a ponytail. She doesn't even bother with makeup. As she trudges back into the living room, Chin stands by the door holding two mugs with a smirk on his face. He laughs, "You really went out of the way to dress your best, cuz!"

"Shut up, it's Saturday," she grumbles as she puts on her holster and her badge. She then grabs one of the mugs out of his hands and hops in Chin's car. Chin makes a pitstop and gets the promised malasadas. As they munch, Kono rubs her sore neck.

Chin notices and says, "You know, maybe if you bought an actual bed, instead of crashing on the couch all the time, your neck wouldn't be so sore." He receives a glare from his cousin and continues, "Then again, who needs their own bed when half the time they get to sleep at their rich boyfriend's house?" A malasada is launched at him by Kono and hits him on the side of his head. "Hey, no flying malasadas unless you want this car to crash!" he snaps. Kono does not care. She just pops another in her mouth and smiles.

Once they arrive HQ, they hop out of the car and head inside. Confused, Kono asks, "Hey if we have a case, then why aren't we at the crime scene?"

"I don't know," he replies, "Steve told me to meet him, Danny, and Grover here." They walk in and see the others standing with their backs towards them. Once they get closer, they see the governor standing in front of the Smart Table.

"Okay, so now that we are all here we can get started," Governor Denning announces, "This morning I received a call from HPD about a woman who was abducted from her hotel room. The reason I received this call, and the reason I am putting 5-0 on the case, is because this woman is the daughter of August March. She allegedly still holds some of her father's influence over these islands, and her disappearance could quite possibly create an uproar on the darker side of the islands, if you know what I mean. Her name is Irene March-Surgo." Kono's face goes white. She feels the whole room begin to spin until Chin's hand slips into hers. She looks over to her cousin who shares a knowing glance. Her shock goes unnoticed by the other members of the team and the governor as he continues, "She and her sons, Theo and Nash March, arrived here last night on a plane from the mainland. They are with HPD. I took the liberty to get you the security footage from the hotel. I want you to find this lady before chaos ensues."

"Yes sir," McGarrett replies in a military tone. Steve opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, Chin butts in.

"Kono and I will take the scene of the crime," he says, "Grover, you should go over the security footage. McGarrett and Danny, you should go talk to the sons. I don't want to find them hanging off the roof of a building, swimming in a shark tank, or being strapped to the front of you car and driven around Honolulu. They are not suspects."

"Wait, you did that?" Grover exclaims, "I thought that was a myth!"

Ignoring Lou, Steve says, "Sounds like a plan." Knowing where Steve would have sent them, Kono mouths a _"thank you"_ to Chin who just smiles and nods.

As they walk out they hear Grover mumble, "What kind of a crazy train did I get myself into?" They all share a smirk and head out towards the parking lot. As Kono hops in the passenger's seat, her hands start to shake. Noticing this, Chin puts down the keys and wraps his arm around his cousin's shoulder.

He whispers into her ear, "It's going to be fine. They can't get you. I will keep you as far away from her, from all of them, as possible, okay?" She nods and gives him a weary smile. _"If only I could believe you," _she thinks.

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><p>Present<p>

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><p>"Hey, long time no see!" a familiar voice sings, "Put your gun down and let's talk. We've got a lot of catching up to do." Kono, feeling her body beginning to quiver, purses her lips and tightens the grip on her gun. The figure, completely undaunted by her weapon, walks up to Kono and pushes it aside with two fingers, and in the same motion, brushes a hair out of Kono's face. The hawaiian girl shudders as its skin brushes hers. The figure takes the weapon from her hands and adds, "I see your listening skills haven't improved. That was always one of your weakest points, Kono."<p>

"What are you doing here?" she weakly asks.

The figure smirks and replies, "The same thing as you, Kaikamahine." With that Kono is led by the hand outside.


	2. She's a Glad Suspect

**A/N: Oh my word! People read my story! I'm going to thank all of the people who followed/favorited my story and especially those who reviewed! It makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside that you actually like it! So, here is the next chapter! It is going to go back into the past of Chin and Kono's relationship. This is the beginning of a very fun plot to write! I can not wait for you to read and Review! Enjoy!**

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><p>Once Kono and Chin arrive at the hotel, they go talk to the manager, who gives them a key to the room and then leads them to their destination. Upon reaching the door, they notice forced entry. The door handle is broken and the very door itself is cracked. "I wonder if McGarrett is behind this," Chin jokes, "It sure looks like his work." Kono smirks as she pulls on a pair of black gloves. She takes pictures of the door with her phone and carefully nudges it open, making sure not to break it. The room is just as, if not more, broken and beat up as the door.<p>

"Obviously," Kono states, "there was a struggle."

Chin adds, "I don't see any blood, so I'm willing to assume that she is alive."

"Great," she sarcastically sighs.

"I doubt that you've told Grover, but do Steve and Danny know?" he asks. She shakes her head. "You know, cuz, I get why you are holding out, but you might want to think about telling them. It's gonna come up in this case and you know it." She nods once more and they go back to their search. _"__What if they believe her? Everyone else did. What if they abandon me like my 'famiy'? I really hope I don__'__t have to tell them,__"_ she thinks to herself.

She continues rummaging through a purse lying on the ground and find nothing but an old picture of the family. It was on a sunny day and she has her arms wrapped around her step-sister and her half-brother. The guys and her dad stand behind her, and Irene leans on her step-sister. They all looked genuinely happy. She shoves it back into the bag as deep as she can force it. She knows where that picture was taken. The Choral Prince T-shirt says it all. She walks into the bathroom and continues her search. Chin finds a smashed phone and an empty wallet, but despite their efforts, nothing else comes up during their search.

On their way to Fong's they don't speak. She looks over at her cousin and despite everything going on today, she almost laughs at the jurassic shift in their relationship. She decides not to think about the case and instead thinks about her cousin and their friendship. Before the incident, he could not stand her, but now they are inseparable. He glances over at her and cocks his head in confusion, but she just shakes her head as she remembers another time.

_She sits on her board waiting for a wave. Well, actually she__'__s waiting for her cousin to take her home, but he__'__s with his girlfriend, so she decided to keep surfing. The only issue is that the waves are awful! Chin couldn__'__t have chosen a worse spot if he tried! The only reason he picked this spot is because of the big rocks where he and his girlfriend slipped off to about an hour ago. Deciding that all of these waves are pathetic, she paddles to shore, grabs her towel, and marches over to where the rocks are._

"_Chin! Cousin! Cuz?__" __she screams as she climbs over the rocks. She stops when she sees him and his girlfriend with their lips locked. She ducks down confused at what they are doing. She knows what they are doing, but something seems weird. Chin__'__s rash guard is off and he is standing barefoot in his swim trunks. His girlfriend is still in her bikini, but her hair isn__'__t in a ponytail anymore. One of her hands clutches his black hair and the other rubs up and down on his back. Chin__'__s hands rub her bare back and his fingers play with the strings of her bikini top. Their tongues are circling around each others mouths as they move their heads and moan like ghosts. The little girl has only seen kissing like this on TV. Without the background music it is really gross._

"_Ew!" __she says to herself as she watches in disgust. Chin backs up his girlfriend into the rock and puts both of his hands on her waist. His eyes open and he rests his forehead on hers. She opens her eyes and they begin to whisper to each other as his hand moves up and down her side higher and lower each time. He seems to be trying to convince her of something. The little girl leans in to hear better but her hand slips knocking some stones down. They both turn to see her in her hiding place._

"_Kono! What are you doing here? I told you that I__'__d be back by sundown! You__'__re supposed to be surfing!__" __Chin yells. His face is red with anger and embarrassment._

"_Brah! There ain't no waves!__" __she complains. He pulls her by her rash guard back to the beach. He sternly says to go back to the ocean and that they will leave when he wants to leave. She sits and pouts on the sand until Chin and his girlfriend emerges. It was no where near sundown when they left, and as Chin hops back in the car after dropping his girlfriend off, the little girl can tell that he is mad. When he parks in front of her house, he locks the doors._

"_You are not to tell anyone about what you saw,__" __he hisses through gritted teeth, __"__If you do, you will wish you hadn__'__t. Understand?__" __She nods her head and hops out of the car. She hears him speed away as she walks up to her door._

_A week later she gets the talk. A week later she knows what she interrupted. A week later she knows why he is so mad at her. A week later she was glad that she did. She did not want to see that!_

"What are you laughing at?" Chin asks.

"Remember that time at the beach? The one behind the rocks?" she asks. After receiving a death stare from her cousin she continues, "I was thinking about what could have happened if I didn't slip!"

"Don't think about that!" he warns, but she is giggling. Eventually he starts laughing along with her.

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><p>Steve and Danny sit in an empty conference room in HPD. Across from them is Nash and Theo March. Nash is a big man about six foot seven, and is all muscle. His short brown hair just barely brushes over his ice cold eyes. Theo is just a little bit shorter than McGarrett and has a similar build. His hair is spiked up with gel and is the same color as his brother's. His brown eyes are much warmer than the former, and the look of concern on his face gives the impression that he is the mama's boy of the family. Steve takes a breath and begins, "Nash and Theo March, my name is Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett. This is Detective Danny Williams. We are from the Governor's specialized task force, 5-0. Our team has been put on this case because of your relation to the late August March."<p>

"Grandpa? What does he have to do with any of this?" Theo asks.

"Well, there was some speculation that once Mr. March had passed, your mother had picked up where he left off and was controling a good portion of the black market here remotely," Steve answers.

"That's not possible!" Nash snaps, "Our mother is clean! The only reason we came to this pineapple infested…" He sighs knowing that yelling at the men will not help get his mother back, "The only reason we came here is because our step-father, Kanji, has always wished to reunite with our step-sister. Some misunderstandings took place between them, and now she refuses to even step foot on the mainland. We haven't seen her in six and a half years."

"So you were coming to the islands to reconcile with your step-sister?" Danny asks.

"Yeah," Theo continues, "her name is Kona Surgo...I think."

"You don't know her name for sure?" Steve asks.

"Well...no. Kanji always called her various nicknames in Hawaiian, Japanese, and whatever other Asian country's language they know, so honestly I think I only heard her name once!" Theo explains.

McGarrett looks over at Danny and sighs, "Okay, we'll run a trace on the name Kona Surgo. What do you remember about the kidnapping? Were you even there?" Both of them shake their heads.

"We had gone out for drinks while Mom took a nap," Nash explains, "When we got back, she was gone and the room had been trashed!"

Danny asks, "Is there anything about your sister that could help us? What does she look like? What does she like to do? How old is she? What was the big misunderstanding about? As of right now, she is the closest thing we have to a suspect, and if the name doesn't come up with a match, then we need to have something else to go off of."

"Ok," Theo thinks, "She has brown hair, brown, slanted eyes, she shorter than me, she...uh...likes to surf, she eats those things, the doughnut things…"

"Malasadas?" McGarrett asks.

"Yeah!" he answers, "She is a couple years younger than me. She likes Xbox. She...well, that's all I can remember about her. So, the reason she doesn't particularly like our family is because when our parents got married, we made her move with us to Colorado. She hated the cold. We also weren't the nicest to her. To us, she became kind of a fun toy to mess around with, but that's what almost all big sibling do to their younger ones. Eventually she started getting hurt in these games, so she fought back. She stopped talking and rarely ate, so Mom took her to a shrink who was supposed to help her. He diagnosed her with depression, anger dissonance syndrome, and a bunch of other things that happened because of the move. He recommended we send her to this boarding school only a few miles out of town. She would stay there during the week, and Kanji would visit during the weekends. Well, turns out the shrink was a fraud. He was taking payoffs to recommend to send kids away to various places. She got wind of this, and figured that was what Mom did. Some how she ended up in the hospital, don't ask me how she managed that, and her family took her home. The thing is, her diagnosis was not incorrect. They dropped all of it once she got back home. Who knows what that kid's like off her meds!"

"That's all?" Steve said in disbelief.

"No, you forgot about the other incident," Nash interjects, "I'll tell this one. So, a couple of years ago, she was all on board for the "getting the whole family back together thing." I guess she missed her dad. We all came to town for a surfing competition that she was in. Our sister, Jacquelyn, and our little half-brother, Kaipo were also with us. I had bought the little guy a laser pointer at one of the little shops. During the competition, she was doing really good, I guess, until Kaipo did something that I specifically told him not to do. He pointed the laser pointer at her eye. It kinda temporarily blinded her and cost her the competition. She had to be taken to the hospital to get checked out, but when we went to go check on her, she refused to see us. Some guy, Adam, I think, told her who was the one who did it. She didn't press any charges, but she pretty much shut down any possible chance of reuniting the family. Kanji was heartbroken."

"Could Adam have been the guy's last name? Maybe Ian Adams?" Danny questions.

"Yeah, why?" Nash says.

"Well, I get why your sister was upset," Steve explains, "She must have been on the pro circuit. Ian Adams was the owner of Choral Prince, a major surfing company. That injury probably cost her her career." The brothers go pale. Their mouths hang open in disbelief as they register what Steve has just told them. He continues, "If this is a revenge plot, and her mental state is as you say it is, then we better get going." They shake hands and head outside. They drive without bickering for once, both lost in thought. Steve is so out of it that Danny is in the drivers seat. Once they arrive at HQ they go up to Grover.

"Do you have anything yet?" Steve asks.

He sighs, "Well, I looked at the footage over and over again, and this guy was a pro. We have a couple of shots of Irene and our kidnapper going out the back entrance. From what I can tell, this could have only been done by someone who knows what they are doing. The guy never looks at any cameras, never leaves any prints or anything. All I can make out is that the kidnapper is a lean five foot eight." Steve and Danny share a look. Grover sees this and asks, "What am I missing here?"

"The brothers identified a step-sister with a grudge, who likes to surf, and was possibly on the pro circuit with Choral Prince, but had her career ended by an injury resulting from a kid, who just so happens to be their half brother, with a laser pointer. Their description of her was vague, but I think I know who she is, and I hope I am wrong." He pulls up a search on the smart table. Once "Kona Surgo" comes up with nothing, he searches "Kono Surgo." A picture of a thin, little, Hawaiian girl pops up on the screen wearing a boarding school uniform. Everything in the file verifies what the brothers had said. After a little more digging, Steve points at the last page. It is a request to change the girl's last name to her mother's maiden name, Kalakaua.

Danny stutters, "Kono is our main suspect."


	3. That Kind of Kissing

**A/N: Wow! I can not believe how many people have reviewed this! It means so much to me that you like it! Sorry I could not update sooner, I was on vacation with my family, and we had no wifi. I hope everyone had an awesome New Year and have a great 2015!**

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><p><em>Danny stutters, "Kono is our main suspect."<em>

"We need to call Chin. Get her over here as soon as possible," Steve instructs, "We need to give her a chance to explain herself." Danny nods and makes the call. Within five minutes Kono bursts through the doors with Chin at her heels.

"Why am I a suspect? What is going on?" she yells. Her eyes are panicked and vulnerable, but the rest of her body shows fury.

"Kono, calm down, babe," Danny pleads, "All of our leads are pointing to you. We just need to hear your side of things."

"I couldn't have! We were at the bust," she exclaims.

Steve sighs, "Actually, Kono, the bust happened at 10:15 last night. The kidnapping happened at 11. There was plenty of time between the two events."

"But I was at the hospital!" she retorts, "Chin made me get my head checked out after that thug pushed me into that crate. No concussion, by the way, but Chin still had to drive me home." She points to her cousin who nods in agreement.

"Okay," Steve says rubbing his hands together, "that was all I needed to hear, but I would like it if you could tell me the whole story. Might help me understand what is going on."

"Later," she mumbles. Just then, Nash and Theo walk through the doors. The moment they lay their eyes on Kono, Nash storms towards her, driving her up against the wall.

He pulls her up off her feet and yells,"Where is she!" McGarrett and Chin pull him off of her and hold him back. Kono gives him a taste of her famous knuckle sandwich. Chin puts his arm over her chest to hold her back.

"She didn't do it!" Steve screams, "She's apart of my team!"

"Wait, so this isn't her?" Theo asks.

Steve sighs, "No, this is Kono. She is on this case so long as she checks the attitude."

"It was just a love tap, brah!" She retorts.

"That's what you said about that haole when we first picked you up!" Chin says, "I checked with the hospital after we booked Sang Min. You broke his jaw!"

"What is she doing here? Theo asks, "She's psycho!"

"ADHD at best, troll!" she snaps.

"I guess here they just hand out badges!" Nash spits.

"Do you want our help or not?" Steve asks, "5-0 is a team, so it's all or nothing."

"Keep her on a leash," Theo spits.

"I should be saying that about you!" Kono retaliates. They share a death stare. The air is so thick with hate, they could slice it like butter. "Why are you here?" she asks.

"Remember Kaipo?" Theo says, "Well, he said that he found some letters in Mom's bedside table drawer. He took pictures of them and sent them to me. Figured they'd help."

"Yeah," Danny says, taking Theo's phone, "Kono, can you get these, babe?" She nods and snatches it out of his hand. She walks over to where Grover is at the smart table, and begins her work. As she types a short pang of pain runs from her knuckles through her right arm. She grits her teeth and ignores it as she feels it begins to bruise. Grover opens his mouth and points at her injured member, but she just shakes her head. Once she is done, she smiles at her work and slides the images up to the monitors mounted up above their heads.

"Ok," she explains, "so since these images are blurry and dark, I enhanced the pictures, cleared the writing, and for an added bonus, I put them in order, because they were not. They are all letters from the same guy, who calls himself, Frank Jenkins, coming from Halawa Correctional. I already confirmed that there is nobody under that name who was in Halawa at the time these were sent, so obviously an alias." She smirks and looks back at her "brothers" and full on grins at the purple mark beginning to form on the eldest's face.

"Wait," Steve says, "If these were sent from Halawa, then they were censored."

"Exactly! So, that means that someone would know who wrote them," Kono states. She points to the one on the left screen and continues, "This one is the introductory letter. Basically all it says is who he is, how he came about her address, and most importantly, that he was good pals with August March." She turns to her brothers and sneers, "Yeah, Grandpa." They glare back at her. She then moves to the next letter, "This one explains why he came in contact with her, which is to say that he owed August, and since he killed himself, he wanted to pay that debt to her. The rest are about plans for her to come and visit and how excited he is. Here and there he mentions an old golf story, but there is nothing really interesting. He never mentions what the debt is or how he is planning to pay it. I think that we need to go to Halawa and pay this guy a visit."

"That is exactly what we are going to do," Steve says, "Chin, did you and Kono find anything at the crime scene?"

"Yeah, we were on our way to Fong's when you called," he replies.

"Ok," McGarrett continues, "I want you to go drop that stuff off. Danny, you and Grover are going to take the brothers over to witness protection. If this guy is one of August March's old clients, then this could become dangerous. Kono, you and I will go to Halawa." As they all move out, Nash closes the door in Kono's face. Steve opens it, and she walks through giving him a weak smile. Once they hop into Steve's truck, there is silence. Kono feels his glances and opts to stare out the window. She hears his uneven breath as he grips the steering wheel. She knows that he is thinking about something, and that she probably is not going to like the result of his pondering.

Eventually, the tension becomes too much for her and she blurts out, "Boss, just tell me what you are thinking, because at this rate, you are going to break the steering wheel with that grip."

He sighs, "I need to know what happened. I can already tell that this is personal. I know that taking you off the case isn't going to work, but I need to know."

She puts her head in her hands and mumbles, "I know. I...I...I just…" With that, the tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She inwardly scolds herself for doing so, but can not stop. "Dad promised me that over there it'd be different. No more fighting. No more yelling. No more nights spent running outside and hiding in the tree fort in the back because they are throwing things and I'm scared. He promised me that I'd have a family better than my Ohana. He promised…" Her whole body shakes as she tries to say the next few words, but they do not come out. She closes her eyes and tries to control her breathing.

"Kono, if it's too much, then you don't have to do this right now," Steve says, realizing that what he had asked might have been more than it seemed.

After a little bit she begins again, "When we got there it was cold. We were in a small town in Colorado. I was the only Asian kid there, and I spoke Japanese and pidgin better than english. My mom made sure I was bilingual, and in school I could get away with pidgin for the most part so long as I wasn't in grammar class. I was different, and that is the perfect fuel for bullies. I got picked on a lot, mainly by my step-siblings. Can't tell you how many times I got locked outside or used as a training dummy for their karate." She looks down at her shaking hands. Her right is beginning swell up, but doesn't seem to be broken. "I eventually started to fight back. No one ever believed me. They always made it seem like I was the one starting the fight. She took me to that doctor, and everything went downhill."

"What doctor?" Steve asks.

"Some shrink," she mumbles, "He labeled me with all this mental junk and gave her ammo to send me away. My dad, well, he promised that he'd visit every weekend. He did at first, but then he stopped. After a while I'd become lucky if I saw him once a month. Then I found out that she was pregnant. Kono 2.0, new and improved. Dad always wanted a son. They could happily have their kid and I'd be forgotten."

"What about Chin?" Steve asks, "I'm sure that he would have helped if you reached out to him."

"I wrote to him every day," she answers, "He was in high school at the time. He didn't have time for me. When I left it meant that he didn't have to get suckered into babysitting me when he could be off practicing or with his friends. He really hated me for a while, believe it or not."

"What?" Steve says, shocked at what he had just heard. "You two are inseparable!"

"Now we are," she says, "He was a teenager. No teenage dude wants his baby cousin hanging around him 24/7!"

"I guess not," Steve replies. Kono opens her mouth to say more, but the words do not come. She knows that she needs to tell him, but she is not ready. Steve slips his hand into hers as he drives along. They sit in silence as the tears fade away and her hands stop shaking. As she gazes out the window, another time pops into her head.

_A little girl with brown hair stares out the window of the taxi that her and her father are riding in. All around the ground is blanketed with snow. She watches as kids run around throwing snowballs and making snowmen and snow angels. Warm clothes being displayed in the windows of shops to help protect against the snow. Snowboards and skis are on racks outside of the shops. Hot chocolate and coffee is being sold to warm you up after being in the snow. Everything around her seems to have something to do with snow._

"_Daddy?" __she asks._

_The man next to her smiles and says, __"Yes?"_

"_Where__'__s the ocean?__" __she innocently says. As a native hawaiian, she was feeling like a fish out of water._

"_This is Colorado, Kaikamahine. The ocean is very far away,__" __he explains._

"_How we gonna surf?" __she asks._

_He chuckles, __"We__'__ll snowboard and skateboard instead. Won__'__t that be fun?__" __She nods her head, unconvinced, but if Daddy says so, then it must be true. She messes with the sleeve of her new coat. It is big and puffy and she does not like it. She would rather be wearing her swimsuit. The driver turns into a neighborhood and parks outside of the first house on the corner. It is a two story wooden home with a pointed roof that like everything else in this town, is covered in snow._

_Her father gets out and grabs their bags out of the trunk after paying the driver, helps her out. Upon stepping out, she nearly falls on a patch of ice, but her father catches her. She weakly smiles and picks up her bags. She does not like the mainland so far, but if Daddy says that it will be great then it will be amazing. She watches as he knocks on the big brown door and then looks down at her and smiles. He ruffles her hair just as the door opens. She watches in pure horror as Auntie Irene, her step-mom, embraces her daddy and begins to kiss him. Not like the kisses that he gives the little girl at bedtime, the kind of kisses she caught Chin giving to his girlfriend at the beach behind the rocks. Finally they remember the little girl and break up the display. As they turn around to see the little girl__'__s face they burst out laughing._

"_Aloha, Keiki!" __she exclaims. The little girl gives her a smile and accepts a hug from her. __"__I am so glad that you and your dad are finally here! Nash, Jackie, and Theo will be home in a little bit. They stayed over at a friend's house after school.__"_

"_Howzit Auntie Irene?" __she asks._

"_Good! Oh, and now that you are technically my daughter, you can call me either Mom or Irene,__" __she says. The girl nods and then is led up to the room that she will share with Jackie. She begins to unpack her suitcase as her father goes down and __"talks" __to Irene. She knows that__'__s code for more kissing, the gross kind where they use their tongues and make weird noises. Its the kind that made Mommy yell at Daddy and stop loving him when she saw Irene doing it with him. Its the kind that Chin did with his girlfriend before yelling at her for interrupting, when all she wanted to do was go home. She does not like that kind of kissing._


	4. The Favorite Child

**A/N: Sorry its been so long! My computer is busted, and while I can work on my story on my phone, I can not post it. I hope this chapter makes up for it! Enjoy!**

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><p>As they arrive at Halawa, a young guard takes them to the place where all of the mail is censored. After talking to the guy in charge, they are lead to the man who sent the mail. He looks to be about the same age as August March when he died. His white hair is neatly cut and his face is clean shaven. His posture is impeccable, and if it were not for the setting and the orange jump suit, you would have thought that he were a high class business man just from the way he conducts himself. He greets them with a nod, as he is not permitted to shake their hands, and politely asks what they need.<p>

"Mr. Clyde MacCoinnich, or should we call you Frank?" Steve asks.

Realization strikes and Clide nods his head and says, "Clyde MacCoinnich will do."

"Mr. MacCoinnich, why were you sending Irene March letters under the name Frank Jenkins?" Kono asks, "Oh, and also what was the debt you owed August March that you were intending to pay him before his death?"

Clide rubs his eyes with his pointer and thumb and sighs, "August and I grew up together. We were like brothers. We even ended up in the same line of business. We had a mutual agreement and basically ran a monopoly on the black market. Eventually, we both were caught by this young lad, John McGarrett, and ended up as cell mates. August always the neat freak. He cleaned up after himself and never left a trail. I however, did not do such a nice job. They were able to pin more on me than him, earning me life. No fail, he visited me twice a week. Mondays at twelve o'clock, and Fridays at six p.m. When he didn't come one week, I knew something was up. I never thought that he would kill himself. Even if it meant going back to prison. His reason for killing himself was because if he went to prison, he couldn't go to this big fancy treatment center on the mainland. He had lung cancer thanks to those cigars he loved. He knew that no other treatment center could help him, and he did not want to die slowly. The debt that I owed him was the time he spent. The time he spent remembering me and visiting me. Frank Jenkins was the main character in these stories he would tell Irene when she was little. I knew that she wouldn't come just for any random convict, so I used a pseudonym that she would trust. I used hints and clues from these stories to reveal myself in a way that only she would know."

"So you owed him friendship?" Steve asks. He nods in reply. Kono and Steve thank him for his cooperation and promise him that they will do all in their power to find her. Just as they are about to walk out he cries out to them.

"Wait!" he yells, "August, he had a step-granddaughter! He mentioned meeting her several months ago! He told me that she was not particularly close to the family. Her father married Irene. She might have something to do with this, but I doubt it. August said that she is a cop, and a very good one. He didn't think that she recognized him when they met. He had only seen her once before when she was a child. He never would admit it, but the small girl instantly became his favorite. She might not even know who he is! One thing he was going to do before he was to leave for the mainland was properly introduce himself. Please, let her know."

"She already does," Kono replies.

"Are you sure?" Clyde asks.

"I am sure because I am her," she says. With that she turns and leaves with Steve at her heels. She has a small smirk and distant eyes. Something about what he said warmed her heart. She knows that it is weird to have a convicted murderer care about you, but for some reason it makes her smile.

As they walk out to Steve's car, Kono get's a mischievous look on her face, and when she sees him pull out his keys, she snatches them out of his and takes off towards the truck. He sprints after her, but she is already in the driver's seat with the door locked by the time he gets to her. She points to the passenger's seat. He gives her a death stare, but he finds himself walking over to the other side of the truck after a look at his watch. Something tells him that she is not necessarily urgent.

"I am avenging Danny's car!" Kono exclaims. Steve sighs and rolls his eyes.

"Not one dent, Kalakaua!" he mumbles.

"Don't worry, Boss! I'll drive it as if I were you!" she chirps. She swings the truck out of the parking space and he grabs for the handlebar. "Oh, and before you ask, no, I didn't know that August was my step-granddad. I met him once when I was living with them, but I didn't recognize him when we did the diamond smuggling case. The man who brought me my only Christmas present from that family was not necessarily the first person I thought of when I met the ex-con."

"You only met him once?" he asks then screams, "Hey! Slow down or I'm going to pull you over and give you a ticket!"

"I ain't going that fast, brah!" Kono snaps, "And yeah, only once, but he wrote me letters. Even when I was, you know. He never stopped until my mom found out that I was getting letters from someone in Halawa. She told him to stop and he did. I was always meaning to go visit, but I didn't know his first name, and I was not asking my father."

"You're going eighty on a fifty five mile highway!" he yells.

"Yeah, but it's a two laned road and its really straight!" she responds. He rolls his eyes and resists the urge to rip the steering wheel out of her grasp. As he watches the signs pass he takes note of the fact that if he were driving they would not be passing them for another five minutes. Her sharp turns and her constant start stops cause his stomach to churn. When they finally come into the parking lot. He braces himself against the car as he walks out. As she skips into HQ where Danny and Grover are working on various things in their offices. She prances right into Danny's office and smiles at him as she spins the keyring around her pointer. "I avenged your car," she giggles as she tosses him the keys. She turns around to see a stumbling Steve. Chin walks in behind him with a smirk on his face.

"You are an awful driver!" he murmurs.

"Nah, she is actually pretty good," Chin remarks, "She is a pro at purposefully making anyone carsick!"

"Why?" Steve pleads.

"To avenge Danny's car and to escape the rest of the impending conversation," she explains, "Now, Chin, did you get anything from Fong?"

"Yeah, and you guys are not going to believe it!" he says, "The wallet and the phone don't belong to our vic, and they can't belong to our kidnapper." After seeing the confused looks on their faces he explains, "On the wallet I found the fingerprints of Jay Glencoe and after some damage repair, we found out that the phone belongs to Bess Holt. They are two haoles from the mainland who went missing a couple of years ago. Jay Glencoe was reported missing on July 3, 2011 and Bess Holt went missing on March 25, 2013. The only thing connecting them and March is that they all have blonde hair and are from the mainland. Aside from that, you couldn't find three more different people if you tried."

"This might have nothing to do with August," Steve surmises. They divide up the work and start searching through the digital files. Kono's eyes go big as she finds a connection. All three women had kids sent off to various boarding schools as a recommended psychological treatment center by Dr. Joshua Crane.

_"Come on!" Irene whines, "If you'd hurry up, we could just get this over with." She drags an unwilling little girl into a large office building. She marches up to the secretary and asks for the location of Dr. Crane's office. Without looking up from her computer the receptionist points down the hall and instructs them to go four doors down._

_Irene pulls the child down the hall to the shrink's office. She opens the door and forces the little girl inside. The walls are barren and beige. A red sofa sits up against a wall with a plush chair on each side and a coffee table in front. A large brown door, separates the waiting area from the office. Irene sits down on the couch and picks up a magazine off of the coffee table. The little girl curls up into one of the chairs and closes her eyes._

_The door opens and a voice asks, "Mrs. March-Surgo?" The little girl does not open her eyes, but hears Irene walk over to the person and begin discussing something in hushed voices with the other person. The little girl hears her name come up several times, but does not wish to know what it is about. Eventually a light tap on her shoulder makes her open her eyes. A pale man with white hair and a clean-cut beard smiles down at her. He wears a black business suit and a white shirt with a matching black tie. "My name is Dr. Crane," the man says, "Let's go into my office and have a little chat." She hesitates, but after receiving a glare from Irene, stands up and follows him unwillingly._

_His office is decorated in a similar style to the waiting room. The child hops up into a chair and as Dr. Crane walks around his desk, builds up the nerves to ask him, "Why am I here?"_

_He answers, "You, my dear, are very sick. I am going to give you the tools to make you better."_

_"But I don't feel sick," she innocently says._

_He chuckles, "You're not sick like achy fever sick, you're sick up here." He lightly taps her forehead. She pulls back away from him, not liking being touched by someone she just met. He sees this, writes something down on a notepad, then continues, "I am going to give you a test that will help me help you." Her shoulders slump at the mention of test and even more so when she receives the thick packet. He hands her a pen and tells her that he is going to go talk some more with Irene. The girl wonders if talk is still code, but decides not to ask._

"Hey, Boss!" Kono yells, "I found something."

"What's up?" he asks.

"Well," she sighs, "All of our vics had children who were sent away with diagnoses from Dr. Joshua Crane."

"Okay, are any of those kids on the island right now?" he asks.

"Yeah, one!" she jokes pointing to herself. Steve rolls his eyes and Kono decides that it is the wrong time for jokes. She continues, "None of the kids are here aside from me. Their names are Miles Glencoe and Jane Holt. Miles lives in Massachusetts and Jane lives in Cincinnati. Neither of them bothered to fly down to Hawaii when their parents went missing. I don't blame them."

_Just as she is finishing the test, Dr. Crane walks back into the room. She hands the packet to him and he smiles. He flips through it and looks up at her while shaking his head. He fumbles through the drawers of his dresser and pulls out several pamphlets. He gestures for her to follow him out. She sits next to Irene on the couch. He hands her step-mom several pamphlets._

_"I am afraid that there is no other treatment," he begins, "With her condition, it will get increasingly worse as time goes on. Luckily, she qualifies for several scholarships thanks to her grades and other factors."_

_"Are you sure?" Irene asks. The little girl doesn't know what is going on, but she doesn't think that she will like it._

_"There is no other way," he says. After more cryptic discussion, Irene takes the girl's hand in hers and leads her outside._

"So, do you think that this could be a revenge plot? Maybe a kid who wants payback?" Steve asks. Kono nods. "Guys!" he yells, "We are looking for anyone and anything related to Dr. Joshua Cane. Chin, you take the Glencoe file. Grover, you take the Holt file. Danny, you keep working on Irene's file. Kono and I will work on finding anything else." He turns back to Kono and says, "I want you to compile a list of all the kids he unjustly sent away. See if any of them are on the islands. I'll work on parents. If nothing comes up there, then we'll go broader." With that they begin their search. As Kono begins her search, she becomes increasingly scared of what she might find, though she will never admit it.


	5. Neglecting the Past

**A/N: Hey! Sorry, I got caught in a bit of a busy spell. I'll try to update this story much more often. I really appreciate everyone who reviews. I've never had this many reviews on a story ever! I'm just going to thank everybody who takes the time to read this and double thanks to everyone who reviews! I can't wait to show you where I'm going with this one, but for now here's a new chapter. Enjoy!**

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><p>Kono's heart pounds as she finds each and every person Dr. Cane sent away. She started by digging through all of the claims held against him during his trial, but by now she has three pages worth of names; all of whom could not have done it. She looks at each name and each face. Most rose above the challenges bestowed upon them by this man, but there were the few who were not able to overcome the challenges. Kono divides her list into three lines, not likely, in jail, and possible suspects. There are no names in the final category. She sighs as she reaches the last name. She puts it down in the 'not likely' category and runs her hand through her hair.<p>

"You find anything?" Steve asks.

"Nah, all of these people seem to have natural alibis. They are all either at some business conference or another, or are locked up. Almost half of these people don't even live in this country anymore!" she sighs.

"How many names are on that list?" Steve questions.

Kono shrugs, "One hundred twenty six. I was able to just run the names through a program to weed out the ones who no longer live in this country, which leaves me with about seventy three names. I used another one to take out the people who are on parole or in jail. That left me with about twenty five names. I did a little extra digging only to find out that they're either too poor to be able to book a flight here once, let alone both ways three times, or they are in another part of the country confirmed by their bosses. None of these people are likely suspects."

"Go back over all of the names who are in prison and parole," he instructs, "Thanks to Keleo, we know that it is possible for them to organize something big behind bars." Kono nods, shuddering as she remembers the dirty cop. She goes through the different files, but comes up with nothing. Kono keeps working as Danny leaves to go pick up Grace and Grover goes home to see his kids. Eventually even Steve and Chin go home to get some rest. Chin tells her as he leaves that he had one of their cousins bring her car to HQ, and that the keys are on her desk. She nods and gives a tired smile as a thank you. After promising Chin that she would not stay too much latter, Kono wills her eyes to stay open as she keeps on searching. Her eyes can only stay open for so long, and after coming up with more dead ends then leads, she drifts to sleep, leaning up against the smart table.

_The little girl lays in her bed, under the light sheets, shivering. She hears footsteps in the hall and pretends to go to sleep. Jackie slips in the door and quietly closes it. She sits down on the little girl's bed and rubs her back._

_"Hey, kid, wake up," she whispers. The little girl opens her eyes and sits up. Jackie places a cookie on the girls lap and says, "I snuck it up here. Mom got a whole plate of them at a bake sale at our school. Are you excited for tomorrow?" The little girl shakes her head while nibbling on the treat. Jackie asks, "Why not?"_

_The little girl looks down at the ground and says, "I wanna be wit my Ohana. Can't see Chin or Syd no more. If I can't see Daddy…"_

_"Kid, that's not gonna happen," Jackie interrupts, "Kanji will see you every weekend. He promised. You'll see your Ohana, and eventually you'll come home to us."_

_"Bet you're gonna like havin' your room back," the girl mumbles._

_"I don't know," the older girl ponders,"It's going to feel really empty without you." The little girl cuddles up against Jackie's side and closes her eyes. Slowly the two drift to sleep feeling safe, until dawn arrives._

Kono feels a firm grip on her shoulder shaking her awake. "Cuz, have you been here all night?"

"Chin, its Saturday!" she mumbles.

"That answers that," he mumbles to himself. He pulls his cousin up onto her feet and says, "Happy Sunday! You are going home. Take a shower, eat some breakfast, and change your clothes. I don't want to see you back here until you do." She nods and stumbles out half-awake. As she goes to her car, she realizes that it is pouring rain. Kono sprints to her car and hops inside. While she drives, she listens to the constant pounding of the rain on the roof of the car.

_The little girl stares out the window of the room she shared with Jackie. The older girl stands next to her holding her hand. She attempts to comfort the younger child, but to no avail. The little girl fidgets with the hem of her shirt while keeping tears at bay. The girl's father walks in and picks up her bags._

_"You ready to go, Keiki?" Kanji spiritedly asks. She shakes her head. The man sighs, "You'll like it when we get there, okay? Say goodbye to your sister." The little girl hugs Jackie, who bends down and picks her up. This makes the girl smile, but only for a short while. Once Jackie puts her down, her father takes her hand and leads her out to the car, while carrying her bag. The rain drips down her face as she walks, but she does not notice. "Its a shame that Irene, Nash, and Theo couldn't be here. They said that if they missed this practice, then the boys wouldn't be able to move up to the next belt." The little girl flinches at the mention of their names. She hops in the back seat of the car, and connects the dots of the raindrops on the window with her finger._

Kono gets out of her car and drags herself into her house. She does just as Chin says, except opting to pick up malasadas and a cup of coffee on her way back instead of making breakfast. As she stands in front of the mirror putting on makeup, she looks down at her left wrist. Seeing the faint lines etched into her skin so many years ago, her stomach churns. The rush of yesterday had made her negligent. Kono quickly covers up the scars with a bit of waterproof foundation and finishes her mascara. She walks into the living room and picks up her board. Regardless of the whether, after this case, surfing off the stress will be very necessary.

Once she gets back to HQ with an overpriced coffee cup in hand, Steve walks up to her and smirks, "I didn't realize that the HQ floor was so comfortable. I might try sleeping here sometime!"

"Oh, shut up, brah!" she retaliates, "Tell me you've got some good news so that the crick in my neck won't be in vain!" She nudges his shoulder and follows him to the table. He puts an unfamiliar face up on the screen and points up at him.

"This is Logan Hert," Steve explains, "I used your list of kids who no longer live in the U.S. to find him. He lives in Waikiki, and has a record for drunk and disorderly from back when he lived in Colorado. He actually only lived a mile from Crane's clinique. The charge happened several years after you left when his daughter, Marcia, graduated highschool and announced that she was never coming back. She changed her name to Marisa Hart and now resides in Weybridge, London where she works as a medical journalist."

Kono nods her head and says, "Yeah, I remember her. I had the hardest time tracing her. I had to go through her medical records to find her. So, let me guess, he was one of the parents who claimed to be tricked?" Steve shakes his head, so she continues, "He wants revenge on the parents who actually did pay Crane to send them away. That's why he is targeting them! I think we should go pay him a visit."

Steve smiles and says, "After you!"


	6. Something To Prove

**A/N: Hey! Sorry for updating so late! I was going to do it on Saturday, but I was having some family issues that took precedence. I promise to update more frequently, and I really appreciate all of the support you have given me. Somedays your reviews and responses are the best part of my day! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>The team, fully equipped with their guns ready and bulletproof vests on tight, stand outside of Logan Hert's door. They all lean in towards the door impatiently staring at their leader. Steve makes eye contact with all of them, then nods. Without another warning, Steve kicks down the door and they burst into the room. Each person scans a room searching for any sign of life. Kono sweeps the living room and then moves on to the bedroom. Once she glides in, she stops in her tracks.<p>

She stutters, "Hey, guys! You might want to come see this!" While she waits for them to enter, she gawks at her surroundings. The room displays a typical master bedroom with a king sized bed in the middle, two bedside tables on each side, an armoire standing tall on the side wall, and shelving along each wall, which at first glance seems to hold pictures of a family. Some appear to be forced school pictures that never turn out quite right, and others look like more candid pictures that were taken at just the right moment.

Kono remains frozen in the doorway, eyes fixed on one, small picture frame on the shelf next to the armoire. She aimlessly drifts towards it. One hand reaches for the image, while the other hangs down by her side, loosely gripping her gun. As her fingers fleetingly brush the wooden frame, she hears the others barge in behind her, but does not acknowledge them. She continues to stare into a pair of familiar almond eyes.

"Hey, cuz?" Chin asks, "Are you okay?" She feels his hand rest on her shoulder and turns to meet his calm, steady, gaze. Kono shifts aside, letting him see the troubling image. Once his eyes reach the picture frame, his face becomes ashen. He searches every image in the room and then stammers, "All of these pictures are of the kids either in school or with their families!" Steve, Danny, and Grover take a closer look at the images adorning every open space.

"How did he get all of these?" Grover contemplates.

Danny shakes his head and murmurs, "Who knows!"

"Okay, so now we are dealing with a stalker," Steve surmises. Kono, not listening to their conversation, puts the picture face down and walks out of the room. When he sees this, Chin follows her out. Curiously, the other three wander over to the frame. Danny picks it up and feels his stomach churn. A frail, brown haired, little girl stares back at him with a small smile, but unmistakable fear written across her eyes. The child dons an uncomfortable looking, blue, button-up shirt, a navy and white striped tie, and a navy sweater vest sporting a fancy SOA on the left breast. Dark circles rest just under her brown eyes and her pallor seems unnatural.

"I didn't think it was possible, but Kono must have put on some weight since this picture was taken," Danny jokes about his slim coworker in a failed attempt to lighten the mood.

"She looks like she hadn't eaten anything for a whole year!" Grover exclaims.

"We should keep an eye on her," Steve begins, "because since this is very personal, she could end up getting hurt."

"Why haven't you taken her off the case yet?" Grover questions.

Danny holds a finger up just as Steve opens his mouth to explain, and does so himself, "We've tried that twice. The first time, she was a rookie. Her surfing mentor guy was killed in the middle of a surfin exposition. She was right behind him and watched it all go down. We took her off the case, so she went and reminisced with her old surfing buddy about the good old days in his place in this tent city, until two mad shooters tried to take down their whole camp. Surfer buddy turns into our prime suspect. The second time, all fingers were pointed at the Yakuza and Adam. We took her off the case because she was too close to the whole thing. She goes to Adam's house, clones his phone, asks him about it, and listens in on a call made to some associates after she leaves. She ends up going to this warehouse where she got herself shot in the abdomen. I don't know about you, but both cases Kono got an inch closer to a fatal shot, and I don't want strike three to happen."

"Got it," Grover mumbles.

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><p>Kono leans up against one of the posts holding up the carport with her eyes closed. She nervously bites her bottom lip and fiddles with the strap of her bulletproof vest. Her heart races and her stomach churns. A small tap on the shoulder brings her out of her thoughts. She looks over and sees Chin. She feels his arm wrap around her shoulders and lets it pull her close to him in a side hug.<p>

He whispers in her ear, "Cuz, if this gets to be too much, then just tell me."

"Chin, I'm fine," she sighs. He raises an eyebrow at this, but Kono looks away from his gaze. "I just," she continues, "I just need to do this, okay? You guys can't sideline me this time. It's too important."

"It's too personal," he adds, "We both know that you do not want the others to find out about everything that happened, but we both also know that with the way that this case is going, they probably will. It might be easier if you are not there."

She shakes her head and sighs, "Chin, I can't do that. I need to solve this one. I need to…"

"To prove yourself to them?" he interrupts, "Kono, you don't need them or their approval. You know that, right?"

"Cuz, this isn't for approval," she explains, "Yeah, they locked me out in twenty five degree weather and practiced their karate on me and blamed me for everything and locked me away in some boarding school, but I'm fine." She looks down at the ground and nudges the gravel with her toe. Kono continues mumbling, "I kinda wanna use this as sort of a wake up call for them. I really want them to see that they didn't destroy my life, and that I'm not some mental basket case."

"Sounds like you think you have something to prove," Chin points out. Kono rolls her eyes and walks to her car.

_The little girl fiddles with the cuff of her shirt while staring absentmindedly out the window. Her window looks out at the Silver Oak Academy Garden. Several children sit amongst the flowers talking to their friends about the latest gossip or sports news. Others run around the greenery playing tag or hide and go seek. She sighs feeling like a bird trapped in a cage and looks down at last nights work written across her wrist. She tries to cover it up with her sleeve with no success. The little girl meanders towards the cabinet and pulls out a box of band-aids. She unwraps the largest one and places it over her gashes, not caring that the adhesive covers the edges of her slashes. After putting on her tie and vest, she sits on her bed brushing her hair. She does not even wince when she yanks at a knot. She finishes and pulls her hair up into a ponytail._

_The little girl grabs her books needed for her classes and stumbles out into the hallway. Knowing that she is apart of the __"special program" __at the school, the other kids avert their glances and move out of the way. She meanders through an ocean of uniform-clad children, until she reaches her history class. She slumps down in her seat in the back and pretends not to pay attention to Mr. O'Riley, her teacher. He is a stout man with little hair on the top of his head. He always wears brightly colored ties and plain sweatervests in an attempt to resemble his pupils and possibly connect with them. His bright eyes shine through his thick glasses and his kind, grandfatherly smile always warms the little girl__'__s heart on the coldest of days, though she does not let him know that._

_After his lecture on the beginnings of World War II, the little girl grabs her things to go to english class, but just as she is about to leave, Mr. O__'__Riley stops her._

"_Hey, sweety! Can we talk for a little bit?__" __he asks. The girl puts down her books and continues to look back up at him. Guessing that this means yes, Mr. O'Riley continues, __"I__'__ve noticed that you__'__ve not been coming to the mess hall for breakfast, lately. Are you feeling okay?__" __The little girl shrugs and averts her gaze. Mr O__'__Riley sighs, __"You__'__ve got to eat, honey.__"_

"_I__'__m fine,__" __she murmurs. Before he can say any more, she runs out of the room down the hall._


End file.
